The present invention relates to a connector.
Conventionally, in order to lock the engagement between male and female connectors, there is known a connector in which a flexibly deformable lock arm is provided in one of female and male connector housings and an elastically engageable lock portion is provided in the other connector housing. An example of such connector is shown in FIG. 8. In the connector shown FIG. 8, a flexibly deformable lock arm 40 is provided in the upper surface of a female connector housing F, while in a male connector housing M there is provided an expansion portion 41 into which the lock arm 40 can be inserted and there are opened up in the expansion portion 41 a window portion 43 engageable with a pawl portion 42 included in the lock arm 40. Thus, when the two female and male connector housings F and M are in complete engagement with each other, the pawl portion 42 of the lock arm 40 is in engagement with the window portion 43 and, in this case, since the lock arm 40 is in a flexible state, there is a possibility that the engagement between the lock arm 40 and the expansion portion 41 can be removed. In view of this, in the shown example, a lock holding piece 44 having a U-like shape is inserted from the flank into the portion of the lock arm 40 projecting from the expansion portion 41 to prevent the lock arm 40 from being flexed, thereby keeping the engagement or locking between the two male and female connector housings M and F.
However, similarly to another conventional connector to be described below, the above conventional system has a so called half-engagement detecting function in order to prevent the two connector housings F and M from being delivered to the next step as they remain in incomplete engagement. That is, in the above connector, if the two connector housings are in half-engagement with each other, then the lock arm 40 remains flexed and thus the lock holding piece 44 cannot be inserted. An operator is able to know from this that the two connector housings are in half-engagement or in incomplete engagement.
In FIG. 9, there is shown another conventional system (which is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication (Kokai) Hei-1-165582). In this connector as well, a lock arm 45 is provided in a female connector housing F and, if a projection 46 provided in the female housing F on the way to the lock arm 45 is engaged with a window portion 47 formed in a male connector housing M, then the two connector housings F and M can be locked. Also, in this connector, as shown in FIG. 9A, a lock holding member 48 is disposed in the rear of the leading end of the female housing F. After the two connector housings F and M are fitted with each other completely, as shown in FIG. 9B, if the lock holding member 48 is operated forwardly, then a projecting piece 49 provided on and projected from the lock holding member 48 is inserted into a lock groove 50 formed in the lock arm 45 to thereby prevent the lock arm 45 from flexing so as to be able to keep the locked state. If the two connector housings are in the half-engagement with each other, then the lock arm remains flexed to thereby cause the lock groove 50 and the projecting piece 49 not to coincide with each other, so that the projecting piece 49 cannot be inserted.
However, in the conventional system shown in FIG. 8, since the lock holding piece is formed as a separate member, the lock holding piece must be kept and controlled separately, which is disadvantageous in handling, for example, it is easy to lost. Also, because the lock arm must has a certain length dimension for mounting the lock holding piece and thus the whole length of the lock arm becomes unnecessarily long, there is a possibility that the lock arm can be hitched and damaged easily during the transportation thereof or the like. On the other hand, in the conventional system shown in FIG. 9, although the lock holding piece is formed integrally with the female connector housing, the lock holding member must be arranged such that the leading end of the projecting piece thereof is separated backwardly away from the lock groove so as not to interfere with the flexibly deforming operation of the lock arm. That is, since the interference avoiding dimension must be secured in the rear portion, the whole length of the housing must be made longer, or, as shown in FIG. 9. The lock holding member must be projected backwardly from the housing. In this structure, the housing is large in side or the housing is easily damaged due to the projected lock holding member.